Editing Posidonius (section)

===The Stoic school on Rhodes===
Under Posidonius, [[Rhodes]] eclipsed [[Athens]] to become the new centre for Stoic philosophy in the 1st century BC.<ref name="sedley27">{{Harvnb|Sedley|2003|p=27}}</ref> This process may have already have begun under [[Panaetius]], who was a native of Rhodes, and may have fostered a school there.<ref name="sedley26">{{Harvnb|Sedley|2003|p=26}}</ref> Ian Kidd remarks that Rhodes "was attractive, not only as an independent city, commercially prosperous, go-ahead and with easy links of movement in all directions, but because it was welcoming to intellectuals, for it already had a strong reputation particularly for scientific research from men like [[Hipparchus]]."<ref name="kiddc4"/>

Although little is known of the organization of his school, it is clear that Posidonius had a steady stream of Greek and Roman students, as demonstrated by the eminent Romans who visited it.<ref name="kiddc4"/> [[Pompey]] sat in on a lecture in 66 and did so again in 62 on return from campaigning in the East.<ref name="kiddc4"/> On this latter occasion the subject of the lecture was "There is no good but moral good".<ref name="kiddc5">{{Harvnb|Kidd|1999|p=5}}</ref> Posidonius was probably in his seventies at this time and was suffering from [[gout]]. He illustrated the theme of his lecture by pointing to his painful leg and declaring "It is no good, pain; bothersome you may be, but you will never persuade me that you are an evil."<ref name="kiddc5"/>

When [[Cicero]] was in his late twenties, he attended a course of Posidonius' lectures, and later invited Posidonius to write a monograph on Cicero's own consulship (Posidonius politely refused).<ref name="kiddc5"/> In his later writings Cicero repeatedly refers to Posidonius as "my teacher" and "my dear friend".<ref name="graver215">{{Harvnb|Graver|2002|p=215}}</ref> Posidonius died in his eighties in 51 BC; his grandson, [[Jason of Nysa]], succeeded him as head of the school on [[Rhodes]].<ref name="sedley27"/>